By studying embryonic stem cells derived from human embryos cloned from the cells of individuals with particular chronic diseases, Harvard scientists claim that they will obtain new knowledge about how chronic human diseases develop. It is amazing that such words come out of the mouths of noted developmental biologists who have known for years that simple embryonic stem cell culture is an inadequate model for human development.

Sherley: My answer is, "What else could they be -- aliens?" Scientists who want to conduct experiments with human embryos are quick to say what human embryos are not. I challenge them to tell the public what human embryos are. There is only one answer to this question, "living human beings."

June 29, 2006

The Catholic Church says it plans to excommunicate scientists who conduct embryonic stem cell research because it involves the destruction of human life. Cardinal Alfonso Lopez Trujillo, head of the Vatican department dealing with family affairs made the comments to an Italian Christian magazine. Trujillo, said the church believes embryonic stem cell research is as bad as abortion.

June 21, 2006

After an unexplained seven-month delay, Planned Parenthood released it's 2004-2005 annual report on June 1st. The report covers the one year period from July 1, 2004 to June 30, 2005.

This report by Planned Parenthood shows that Planned Parenthood had a record year financially. It took in more total money ($882 million), more government money ($272.7 million) and more clinic money ($346.8 million) than ever before.

The report shows it killed a record number of babies (255,015 surgical abortions) and we estimate it took in a record $108 million from its abortion business - accounting for 31 percent of its clinic income

There was no mention in the report of the number of mothers who have died getting abortions at Planned Parenthood. PP did, however, give Planned Parenthood Golden Gate, the affiliate responsible for administering the medical abortion that resulted in the death of Holly Patterson, their Clinical Service Expansion and Outreach award!

In the area of sex education, despite Planned Parenthood's spending a record $45.4 million, the number of attendees at its sex education programs was 200,000 less than the previous year - although it did report that Teenwire.com (its very offensive sex site for kids) visits were up 45 percent over the year before. The report also showed that Planned Parenthood is pushing its sex education on the international scene. It reported that it gave sex education programs to 550,000 youth outside the United States, and bragged that 115,000 of those youth were now using contraception - most for the first time.

And what can we say about the profits? Another $63 million in profits for PP brings its total profits to $649.6 million since 1987. Its total net assets have now risen to $784.1 million - $478.7 million in cash or investments.

American Life League has prepared a document giving the detailed financial and service statistics of Planned Parenthood for the last five years. You can obtain a free copy of that document by sending an e-mail to stopp@all.org and putting the words "PP statistics" in the subject line.

Here are some bullet facts you can use when making talks, informing public officials, or writing letters to the editor:

Planned Parenthood is an $882 million business that made $63 million in profits last year.

Planned Parenthood has made a total profit of $649.6 million since 1987.

Planned Parenthood has received $3.9 billion (yes, that's billion, with a "b") in taxpayer money since 1987.

Planned Parenthood spends $45 million a year on its sex education programs in an effort to sexualize our children.

June 15, 2006

McCarrick said the task force met with Democratic and Republican politicians and consulted with Vatican officials and bishops in other nations on the "frustrating reality" of Catholics who seem to reject Catholic principles.

"Our concern is not politics, nor just particular policies, but their faith and even their salvation. These dialogues are not about winning votes, but saving souls," he said.

On the issue of communion, he said there was "no substitute for the local bishop's pastoral judgment and his vital relationships with Catholic public officials in his own diocese."

The task force has written a booklet of "Readings on Catholics and Political Life" that has been distributed to every Catholic politician in the U.S. Congress. Education and information sessions on Catholic teaching are also being arranged on Capitol Hill.

June 12, 2006

The state of California is seeking to invalidate a federal law which seeks to protect institutions and caregivers who refuse to participate in abortions. This law is of major importance to. amongst others, the Catholic healthcare system in California.

President Bush signed a federal spending bill with a provision sponsored by pro-life Reps. Henry Hyde and Dave Weldon saying the federal government can't discriminate against doctors, hospitals or health insurance companies that do not want to perform or pay for abortions.

Any federal, state or local agency that receives federal money would lose those funds if they engage in such discrimination.

California Attorney General Bill Lockyer filed a lawsuit against the law in January 2005 and the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Friday that the two pro-life groups can join in defending the law.

The court ruled the Alliance for Catholic Health Care and the Medical Groups, which represents health organizations opposing abortion, can help the federal government defend the provision in the case.

According to a Reuters report, it said the groups can participate because medical providers will be forced to choose between their moral beliefs and losing their jobs or medical licenses.

"Congress passed the Weldon Amendment precisely to keep doctors who have moral qualms about performing abortions from being put to the hard choice of acting in conformity with their beliefs, or risking imprisonment or loss of professional livelihood," Judge Alex Kozinski wrote for a three-judge panel of the appellate court.

Lockyer spokesman Tom Dresslar condemned the decision in an interview with Reuters.

"Regardless of who is to intervene in this case, the Weldon Amendment remains an unconstitutional infringement of California's sovereignty as well as a threat to the reproductive health care rights of the state's women," she claimed.

Weldon previously told the Sacramento Bee newspaper that his amendment "in no way infringes" on a woman's right to an abortion. Instead, Weldon said in a statement, it only says "you can't force the unwilling" to perform them.

DMV Commissioner Ralph J. Carpenter agreed to reconsider the small foundation's eligibility for the plates - a status it applied for, and was granted, in 2003 - based on a letter Wednesday from Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and a Democratic state legislator charging that the group has "negligible, if any, `operations' in Connecticut, much less a base of operations in this state."

The charge surprised the nonprofit group's founder and president, Elizabeth Rex of Yonkers, N.Y. She had heard nothing from Blumenthal about such questions - but she quickly produced a series of letters from Connecticut officials who have recognized her group's efforts in recent years. The letters came from Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman, Govs. John G. Rowland and M. Jodi Rell, the state's child advocate - and Blumenthal himself.

"Please extend my deepest appreciation and admiration to your members for the outstanding work that they do in advocating that every abandoned child should have a home with adoptive parents who love that child unconditionally," Blumenthal wrote Rex March 4, 2003. ...

..."This is the third time we've cooperated with the DMV," Rex said. "We dealt with their legal department and gave them all our papers, and they approved our plates."

Rex, who holds a doctorate in education, is the mother of three, two of whom are adopted. She co-founded the foundation in 2001 with her husband, Charles, who is a concert violinist in the first violin section of the New York Philharmonic.

She said the group supports pregnancy centers that do not offer abortion as an alternative, and also supports "safe havens" efforts under laws, including Connecticut's, that provide mothers the chance to drop off unwanted babies at specified areas such as hospitals and fire stations without fear of prosecution.

Here is further information from Elizabeth Rex:

The Children First Foundation has repeatedly and fully complied with all CT state and DMV regulations, statutes and requirements. Here are important facts about CFF and our plate:

- CFF's Vice-President and four of our Advisory Board Members are CT residents.

- CFF's base of operation in CT has always been on file with the DMV.

- Ms. Corinn Dahm (a CFF Advisory Board Member) is CFF's CT State Representative and CFF's office/base of operation in CT is located in her home in Gales Ferry, CT.

- CFF has sponsored many educational and fundraising events in CT that have raised important funding and awareness to promote adoption and safe haven efforts in CT.

- As President of CFF, I am CFF's official liaison with the CT DMV and CFF's official Headquarters is located in my home in Yonkers, NY (no overhead costs save money!)

- CFF's official mailing address on file with the IRS is P.O. Box 326 in Eastchester, NY.

- CFF has fully complied with the Secretary of the State and the Office of the AG.

- The DMV has all of CFF's most recent information and approved our plate in 2003 along with many other diverse non-profit plates for a Labor Union plate, a Knights of Columbus plate, a Masonic Fraternity plate, and even a Penn State Alumni Association plate.

- DMV recently updated all of CFF's information (April-May, 2006) and, once again, verified that CFF was in full compliance with all of the DMV's regulatory statutes for an organizational plate. This information can be requested from the DMV and is available from CFF.

CFF has approximately 600 supporters/members in CT and @ 200 members have requested CFF's "Choose Life" License Plate to help promote and support adoption in CT.

The CT Choose Life Plate has apparently been officially suspended by the DMV without any notification, explanation or due process. CFF's contact information on the DMV web site has been removed. This action should be reversed. http://www.ct.gov/dmv/cwp/view.asp?a=811&q=276538